The Power of a Mother's Love

 "You rejoice in a baby's first smile and you listen with eager ear to a child's first day at school. . .You rock a sobbing child without wondering if today's world is passing you by, because you know you hold tomorrow tightly in your arms. . .

"When the real history of mankind is fully disclosed, will it feature the echoes of gunfire or the sleeping sound of lullabies? The great armistices made by military men or the peacemaking of women in homes and in neighborhoods? Will what happened in cradles and kitchens prove to be more controlling than what happened in congresses?"

(Maxwell, Neal, A. "The Women of God," April 1978)

A God Who Weeps

 "There in the midst of a grand vision of humankind which heaven opened up to his view, Enoch, observing both the blessings and challenges of mortality, turns his gaze toward the Father and is stunned to see Him weeping. He says in wonder and amazement to this most powerful being in the universe: "How is it that thou canst weep?" 

 . . . Looking out on the events of almost any day God replies, "Behold these thy brethren; they are the workmanship of my hands . . . they are without affection and they hate their own blood . . . Wherefore should not the heavens weep, seeing these shall suffer?" (Moses 7)

"That single riveting scene does more to teach the true nature of God than any theological treatise could ever convey. 

" . . . What an indelible image of God's engagement in our lives! What anguish in a parent when His children do not choose Him nor "the gospel of God" He sent. How easy to love someone who so singularly loves us.

"I bear witness this day of a personal, living God, who knows our names, hears and answers prayers, and cherishes us eternally as children of His spirit. I testify that amidst the wondrously complex tasks inherent in the universe, He seeks our individual happiness and safety above all other godly concerns."

(Elder Jeffrey, R. Holland. "The Grandeur of God.")